Students at Fugger Gymnasium present innovative business ideas
Faculty of Computer Science | Funkenwerk
How does an idea turn into a potential business model? Sixty-seven students, together with their teachers, explored this question at the latest Fugger Pitch held at THA. As part of a P-seminar, the participants developed their own business ideas and presented them during the final pitch at THA to a jury and an audience. A total of 13 teams presented their innovative projects, and the best ideas were recognized with awards.
The Fugger Pitch is part of the activities organized by Funkenwerk—the Institute for Start-ups and Innovation—in collaboration with the Jakob-Fugger-Gymnasium and the Faculty of Computer Science. The event impressively demonstrates how young people can be inspired to embrace entrepreneurship, creativity, and entrepreneurial thinking at an early age.
Creativity and Team Spirit
The students impressed the judges with their creativity, motivation, and surprisingly innovative ideas—ranging from sustainable solutions to digital platform and healthcare concepts. Particularly impressive were the professional presentations, well-thought-out market strategies, and the teams’ high level of commitment.
1st Place: “About Your Dreams”
The winning team developed a sports and nutrition app focused on personalized training and learning techniques—for example, for the sport of parkour—combined with targeted nutritional recommendations.
The team particularly impressed the judges with its combination of app concept, understanding of the target audience, and a professionally produced marketing video.
2nd Place: “Re-School”
The “Re-School” team focused on the topic of reusing school supplies and developed a concept for a digital platform designed to facilitate the sustainable sharing of school supplies.
The jury was particularly impressed by the clear analysis of the problem, the social value, and the recognizable market potential of the idea.
3rd place: “OneClub Germany”
The “OneClub Germany” team tackled a challenge familiar to many soccer fans: the sheer number of different streaming and subscription services.
The team’s idea: a bundled add-on solution for fans that makes content related to their favorite club easier and more centralized to access—without having to sign up for numerous individual subscriptions.
Why Collaborating with Schools Is So Important
The Fugger Pitch demonstrates the innovative potential that young people already possess. That is precisely why Funkenwerk has been continuously expanding its collaboration with schools for years.
As part of the Funkenwerk Kids initiative, students are introduced early on to topics such as innovation, creativity, digitalization, and entrepreneurship. Funkenwerk now regularly collaborates with nine schools in the region to jointly develop hands-on programs, workshops, and pitch events.
This isn’t just about startups or starting a business. Rather, the goal is for young people to learn how to solve problems creatively, develop ideas further, and actively help shape the future.
Fostering an Entrepreneurial Spirit Early On
For Funkenwerk, collaboration with schools is an important part of a modern culture of innovation and education. Particularly valuable is the close collaboration with dedicated teachers from the region—above all with Andreas Horn, founding ambassador and a teacher at Fugger Gymnasium from the very beginning, who has supported the programs with great passion since their inception. The program is also supported by Prof. Stephan Zimmermann from the Faculty of Computer Science, who represents both the faculty and Funkenwerk.
These programs demonstrate that when young people are given space for ideas, creative solutions, new perspectives, and often surprising approaches to the challenges of tomorrow emerge.
Photos @ Technical University of Applied Sciences Augsburg